The present invention relates to the art of photography, and more particularly to a process for reproducing photographs or paintings made on paper and similar medium onto a different medium, such as a stone, slate or wall surface.
In the past, slate tiles were extensively used as a roofing material because this product was readily available in many areas of the country. Slate is a type of rock that is readily split along parallel planes of cleavage into large, thin, impervious pieces. These pieces, after trimming, were used to cover a timbered roof. The roofs made with slate tiles were esthetically pleasing and, most importantly, provided good protection against moisture. The service life of such roofs was relatively long, as compared to less expensive alternatives. It was no wonder, therefore, that many buildings in historical districts still have slate tile roofs.
However, some of the buildings with slate tiles are now in such a dilapidated state that renovation is not economically feasible. These buildings are demolished, making room for modem structures and most of the building materials that were used in the construction of the old buildings are removed to a disposal site. Some of the old building materials can be salvaged, such as cypress beams, mantels, doors and the like. The slate roof tiles can also be salvaged with careful handling although they are rarely used again as roofing material.
Most of the salvaged slate tiles are sold through art supply stores, with painters using them as a medium for drawing pictures and selling them as works of art. The painters use oil or watercolors to imprint an image on the slate surface. Such techniques are not suitable for exact reproductions of photographs on the stone surface.
The methods of transferring a photographic or other pictorial work to a hard solid medium have been known before. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,180,002 issued on Nov. 14, 1939 to Ford discloses a method of actinic printing of a negative on a bi-chromated gelatin film and reproducing of the photograph on a glass plate. After the film is developed, it is processed through the steps of molding, heating and hardening. A resin body is separated from the mold, and the design of the photograph is shown on the object in reverse reproduction.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,327 issued on May 2, 1972 to Berick et al. discloses a process of reproducing a photograph on an article of jewelry, such as a metal charm. The outstanding lines of the object are provided in relief, and the background is infused enamel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,203,789 issued on May 20, 1980 to Delorne discloses a process for reproducing a painting on canvas, wood or similar surfaces. In that process, a copy of the original painting is used to project an image of the painting onto the colored surface. A hardenable paste is then applied to construct imitation relief portions according to the painting. The paste is allowed to harden, and then a flat copy of the painting is applied to the support. The relief portions of that painting show in the flat copy coincident with the imitation relief portions of the support formed by the paste. U.S. Pat. No. 5,547,817 issued on Aug. 29, 1996 to Okada et al. discloses an oxidizing agent for use in a field of silver halide photosensitive material. The oxidizing agent is used as a bleaching agent.
While these patents disclose the general state of the art, none of them address a method of reproducing a photograph on a hard solid surface, such as slate tile. The present invention contemplates provision of a method for reproducing a photograph or other pictorial work onto such medium.